Wellness Incentives are rewards, benefits, or programs offered by organizations to encourage and motivate employees to adopt and maintain healthy lifestyle behaviours and participate in wellness activities. These incentives aim to promote physical and mental well-being while reducing healthcare costs and improving workplace productivity.
This strategic approach helps organizations promote employee well-being while creating a culture of health and wellness, ultimately benefiting both the employees and the organization through reduced healthcare costs and improved workforce performance.
Remember how our parents or grandparents worked at places where “wellness” meant having a first aid box? Times have changed! Modern companies are realizing that keeping employees healthy is like maintaining a car – regular care prevents bigger problems later.
Take Rohit’s company, for example. When they started their wellness program, it wasn’t just about ticking boxes. “We noticed people skipping lunch to meet deadlines, complaining of back pain, and looking stressed,” says their HR head. “Something had to change.”
These days, wellness support comes in many forms:
“Last month my company reimbursed my gym membership,” laughs Karthik, a project manager. “My wife couldn’t believe it – she said it’s cheaper than treating lifestyle diseases later!”
Some places get really creative:
Sometimes it’s not about money at all. Like at one of the tech companies in Chennai, where they turned an unused conference room into a meditation space. “Initially everyone laughed,” admits Pooja from HR. “Now there’s actually a queue during lunch hours!”
Take Ramesh from a Tech company. Last year, he was struggling with back pain from sitting all day. When his company started morning yoga sessions, he joined “just for fun.” A year later, his back pain is gone, and he’s actually teaching others some basic poses during breaks.
“It’s funny how these things spread,” says Lakshmi, an HR manager at a growing startup. “We started a simple steps challenge, and suddenly everyone’s having walking meetings. Even our CEO ditched his chair for a standing desk!”
“Our first wellness program was a disaster,” laughs Priya, head of HR at a tech firm. “We bought everyone fancy fitness trackers, but nobody used them. Then we asked what people actually wanted – turns out they preferred simple things like flexible lunch hours for gym time.”
Companies that get it right focus on:
“When we started our yoga sessions, only three people showed up,” remembers Sunita, a wellness coordinator. “Then we moved it to post-lunch time and made it casual – now people fight for spots!” Sometimes it’s not about the program, but finding the right time and approach.
Not every company can afford fancy gym memberships or high-tech fitness trackers. But as Rakesh from a mid-sized company shares, “We started small – just a walking club and some fruit in the break room. The change in energy was amazing!”
“Some folks were worried we’d share their health data,” admits Deepak, an HR manager. “We had to show them that their information was as private as their salary details. Trust takes time to build.”
